Abstract

Community Based Social Marketing and Environmentalism: Engagement with a new generation of green policies

Speaker: Aaron Gillich (PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge)

It is widely acknowledged that efforts to reduce carbon emissions must consider strategies to improve the energy efficiency of existing building stock. Studies have consistently shown that simply providing information and financing is insufficient to motivate homeowners to undertake energy efficiency retrofits. An increasing number of programmes are incorporating community based social marketing into their outreach and engagement strategies. Community based social marketing is an approach that identifies and targets specific barriers to the uptake of green technologies and designs calibrated outreach strategies to overcome these barriers. These include traditional approaches such as print and television advertising, as well as innovative types of social marketing that make use of trusted messengers to broaden the programme’s reach. This seminar will discuss several examples of ongoing programs that form part of this new generation of retrofit policies. Examples are chosen that make use of similar but differing approaches to retrofit financing and end user engagement allowing for a comparative analysis among them. In addition, it offers a discussion of the role of community based social marketing in end user engagement strategies and policy design.

The Living Laboratory: Engaging in research to improve the sustainability of the Estate

Speaker: Claire Hopkins (Living Laboratory for Sustainability Coordinator, University of Cambridge)

The Living Laboratory for Sustainability, the ‘Living Lab’, is a new programme coordinated by the Environmental Office within Estate Management at the University of Cambridge. The Living Lab’s goal is to improve the sustainability of the University by using the Estate to test and research real world environmental problems while improving the educational experience of students attending the University. GreenBRIDGE is an interdisciplinary group of researchers, with a common interest in Sustainability in the Built Environment. We hold a variety of events through the year, including fortnightly seminars in term time, special lectures and discussions, and a large summer event. For more details please see www.greenbridge.org.uk The Living Lab seeks to engage students from diverse academic backgrounds to create dynamic solutions to the operational challenges of the University. It also looks to be a platform for academic staff to suggest and steer research on the University Estate, and to be a tool for Estate Management to improve the environmental practices of the University.

Community based social marketing is an approach that identifies and targets specific barriers to the uptake of green technologies and designs calibrated outreach strategies to overcome these barriers. These include traditional approaches such as print and television advertising, as well as innovative types of social marketing that make use of trusted messengers to broaden the programme’s reach.

This seminar will discuss several examples of ongoing programs that form part of this new generation of retrofit policies. Examples are chosen that make use of similar but differing approaches to retrofit financing and end user engagement allowing for a comparative analysis among them. In addition, it offers a discussion of the role of community based social marketing in end user engagement strategies and policy design.